The present invention relates to a heat exchange unit and a printing system, comprising such a heat exchange unit. In particular the present invention is directed to a printing systems wherein an image of marking material is transferred from an image-bearing member onto a print media.
Printing systems wherein an image of marking material is formed on an image-bearing member and subsequently transferred and fused, possibly simultaneously, onto a print media are commonly used. Fusing an image of marking material onto a print media is executed under elevated pressure and temperature. The elevated temperature of the fuse apparatus is used to at least partially melt the marking material. This process is very power consuming. To enable a productive use of the fuse apparatus, a print media is often pre-conditioned. In particular, the temperature of the print media that enters into the fuse apparatus should not result in cooling the fuse apparatus down too much. Therefore it is common practise to use a pre-heater apparatus to condition the print media before the image of marking material is fused thereon. This process of pre-conditioning also consumes a significant amount of energy.
A disadvantage of this kind of printing system is that it consumes a large amount of energy. In particular, the pre-heating of the print media and the fusing process contribute to a high overall energy dissipation.